Dispensing-type barrel enclosure



Jan. 20, 1953 A. H. PATCH DISPENSING-TYPE BARREL. ENCLOSURE Filed May 4,1949 IMF fir/11147 E PaZc/p must: 3 MM :20 i7 INVENTOR.

l/TZ'ORNE Y particularly taurant's, taverns, and the like.

Patented Jan. 20, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPENSING-TYPEBARREL ENCLOSURE Application May 4, 1949, Serial No. 91,273

2 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for storing and cooling beer orother brews, and more relates to dispensing-type enclosures or boxes forrefrigerated barrels, e. g.

structures for receiving a barrel or keg which is 'which are mountedinside .the keg itself, and

through which the cold water or other coolant is circulated. In suchinstallations the barrels are conveniently placed behind the bar orotherwise near the locality where the beverage is dispensed, and arescreened only by the bar or in some cases are covered by simple metalshells that can be lifted away when an exhausted barrel is to bereplaced with a filled one. The heavy wooden walls of the barrelordinarily afford good thermal insulation, preventin undue transfer ofheat to the contained liquid and affording efficient cooling actionwithout untoward effects.

Metal barrels, either aluminum or stainless :steel, have recently comeinto extended use.

Special arrangements have been proposed for cooling the contents of sucha keg while it stands at the dispensing locality, but the metal walls ofthese barrels are relatively good conductors of 7 heat, so that theyassume a low temperature and if exposed, will condense large quantitiesof moisture from the surroundin air, often sufficient to form a pool onthe floor within a very short time. That is to say, the temperature ofthe refrigerated metal barrel is usually below 50 F. and is thusordinarily well below the dew point of the surrounding atmosphere,especially in res- Since a barrel, once connected to the cooling system,must remain so connected and in a refrigerated condition as long as thecontained beer is to be preserved, the problem of sweating existscontinuously, twenty-four hours a day. As will now be appreciated, it isan important one of various problems that have heretofore impeded thedevelopment of cooling methods and equipment for metal-wall kegs.

Accordingly a paramount object of the present invention is to provide anovel and improved enclosure, that may be conveniently called adispensing box, into which the barrel can be placed and in which it maybe connected with the cooling system, such enclosure being of a sealedand insulated character but nevertheless adapted to facilitate the useof the barrel for dispensing beer or the like, and to permit fullrealization of the cooling action. A further object is to provide suchbox or enclosure, which permits ready insertion and removal of barrels,it being borne in mind that a filled beer keg is extremely heavy andcannot easily be lifted or inserted downwardly in any kind ofreceptable. Another and more specific object is to provide. an enclosurewhich can be rapidly opened for perfect access to the barrel, and whichalso, in a novel and efficient manner, seals the barrel against heattransfer and air circulation, 'to obviate the problem of sweating orconden'sation.

Further objects are to provide such a box which when open not onlyaffords access to the barrel but permits ready attachment of coolinginstrumentalities, as Well as easy connection or disposition of othernecessary parts, particularly the tap rod by which the beverage is to bedispensed; also to provide enclosures .of the character described whichare rugged and durable in construction, fully able to withstand therough usage necessarily incidental to the handling of heavy beerbarrels; and to afford a box which may be very rapidly opened andclosed, with a minimum of adjustment but without sacrifice ofheat-insulating effectiveness in its closed condition.

To these and other ends a presently preferred embodiment of theinvention is shown, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings towhich the following description relates, it being believed that thefeatures and principles of the invention may be readily understood fromthis illustrative disclosure.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the box embodying the invention, shownin closed position;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, with a part of the cover portion of thestructure broken away;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig, 4 is a horizontal section on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. '5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a part of the coverportion; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation, on a greatly reduced scale, showing themanner in which the cover portion may be separated for access to the.interior.

Although for the purposes explained above the box of the invention mayalso be embodied in plural or multiple units, i. e. constituting aplurality of like boxes arranged side-by-side with as if it were hingedatthe forward edge single rear and top walls for the body portion andwith separate cover portions for each section, the drawings convenientlyand for brevity of illustration, show a single unit, adapted to receiveone barrel.

The structure comprises a body portion generally designated I and acover portion [2, arranged to fit together so as to afford a completeenclosure for a barrel M, e. g. a keg of the metal type, having a metalside wall and integrally joined metal heads. The body portion of the boxhas a vertical rear wall [5, vertical side walls [6 and I! and a topwall l8. The body portion l0 also has a base or bottom structure 20 thatincludes a peripheral frame 2| surrounding a floor section having ametal plate 22 for its upper surface, which mounts a plurality of skids23, 23 or like parts upon which the barrel 14 may be seated. The top I 8is materially shallower, i. e. shorter in the forward direction from therearwall l5, than the base structure 20; in conwalls 30, 31 of the coverportion are of a gen- ,erally non-rectangular shape, e. g. triangular asshown, and have cooperating edges which extend at the same angle to thevertical as the edges 24, 25 and thus fit snugly against the latterwhile the edge of the top portion 29 engages the forward edge of the top18 of the body. While the cover ,portion may in some cases be ofstrictly rectangular or like configuration, the preferred structureshown includes a curved surface at the upper, forward corner where thewall 28 meets the wall 29, the wall 28 also being conveniently curved orsloped inwardly as at 32 to its bottom -line of removable attachment tothe base 20,

such lower recess affording toe room for the op- ,erator who is standingat the enclosure and drawing beer.

As will now beseen, the complete enclosure is a .generally rectangularbox divided into two parts, viz. the body portion and the cover portion,along a parting line which lies wholly in a single plane, preferablyextending from a central region of the top I8--29, downwardly at asubstantially acute angle to the vertical (e. g. or so), to the forwardedge of the base 20.

For secure yet fully removable attachment of V, the cover. portion l2,the base has a pair of forwardly-projecting lugs or hooks 33, 33 intowhich the lower edge of the cover portion can be seated, so that when itrests on the lugs 33, it may be swung toward and away from a closedposition of the base.

. Latches 34, 34 are provided at the top of the box, each having itsseparable parts mounted respectively on, the cover portion and the bodyportion, and each being preferably of such construction, for example acatch of a locking lever type, that its movable latching members may beswungrapidly into holding position and further actuated to draw thecover snugly against the body portion. It will now be seen that uponreleasing the latches 34, the cover I 2 may belswung outwardly (on thehinge constituted by the lugs .oxide or air, as usually required.

33), away from the body portion at the top, and then may be lifted offthe lugs and taken completely away from the body portion. Replacement ofthe cover is effected with like simplicity, e. g. by seating its singlelower edge in the recesses of the lugs 33 and then swinging it forwardinto closed position, whereupon the latches 34 can be fastened. Forconvenience in positioning the cover and guiding it properly, its loweredge and the adjacent part of its front face may be slightly recessed asat 36, 36 to register with the lugs 33.

Where the barrel is kept in a cooled condition for directly dispensingthe brew, one arrangement for withdrawing the latter is by means of atap rod or draught tube 38 mounted into the uppermost head of the barrelM as the latter stands upright, e. g. in the illustrated box. While insome cases other draught connections may be made, such asfiexible'tubing run to a remote location on the bar (a practice whichmay be followed with the so-called Golden Gate tap which extends througha bottom side portion of the barrel), and while in other cases differentopening structures may be provided to accommodate a tap rod, oneconvenient arrangement for a central, vertical draught tube 38 involvesa pair of complementary semi-circula notches 39, 48) at the center ofthe meeting edges of the top portions 29 and I8, i. e. so arranged thatwhen the cover is brought into place as shown in Fig. l, the notches 39,40 provide a single hole through which the tap rod 38 may pass. Thusafter the barrel is enclosed in the box and the cover secured, the taprod 38 rises from the hole 39, 40 and the faucet 4| (Fig. 6) at theupper end of the tap rod is freely available for use.

The structure may also be provided with builtin means for deliveringrefrigerated coolant to the barrel 4, for example as embodied in thepipes 42, 43 mounted in a housing 44 which extends across the rear ofthe enclosure at the top of its back wall I5. Inside the enclosure apair of outlet pipes 46, 41 project from the housing 44, being connectedrespectively to the .pipes 42, 43, and adapted for removable connectionof hose lines 48, 48 or the like extending to the cooling structure ofthe barrel I4, such as the, annular, inter-connected cooling sleeves 50,50. It will be understood that the pipes 42, 43 are connected to asuitable circulator and associated apparatus (not shown) whereby coldwater or the like is directed into one of the pipes and withdrawn fromthe other. A like header pipe, not shown, may also pass through the boxwith an appropriate separable connection to the barrel for supply of gasunder pressure, e. g. carbon di- Although various other arrangements canalternatively be used for introduction of the water and gas lines, forinstance simply in the form of nipples (for hose attachment) extendingthrough a side or back portion of the enclosure (as for single orseparated boxes), the mounting of the continuing header pipes lengthwiseof the rear wall of the box facilitates connection of successive boxesin a lateral array, to be served by cooling water traversing theindividual pipe lengths in success1on.

All of the walls of the body portion and cover portion, and preferablyalso the base structure 29, are constructed of suitable thermalinsulating material. While a variety of other wall structures may beemployed for such purpose, the apparatus shown has each such wallconstituted by thin sheets 53, 5a of relatively waterproof or impervioussheet material. Although the covering layers 53, 5% may in some cases bemade of metal, sheet material such as the well known hard compositionboard made of compressed comminuted wood is particularly suitable, ashaving a rather low heat conductivity and yet being 'suflicientlydurable to withstand harduse. The base 20 may include a panel ofinsulating board 55, preferably faced, for extra durability, with metal.such as the upper plate 23 and an under plate '51. Thus as stated, eachof the walls (including the base) l5, 16, ll, likewise the walls '28,'29, '30 and 3! of the cover portion are all constructed of durablysheathed thermal insulation.

It will be particularly noted that the meeting edges of the cover andbody portions by preferenee "lie in a single, continuous plane (exceptfor the hinge-lug structure at the bottom) having no flanges orinter-engaging parts. Thus the edges may abut flatwise together inperfect alignment. Preferably a continuous gasket 58 (Fig. 5) of softrubber or the like may extend all around the face of one edge, as on thecover; in consequence the abutting edges afford a highly effectivethermal seal when the latches 34 are drawn up to pull the cover tightlyagainst the body. At the same time, it is not necessary for theattendant to exercise any special care in fitting the cover in place,otherwise than to seat recessed portions 36 of the bottom edge in thelugs 33; nor is the close fit of the cover and body impaired by dents orother disfiguration of the meeting edges, as might be the case whenflanges or grooves are bent out of alignment by rough usage.

The described structure affords a peculiarly convenient and efficientdevice for holding a refrigerated metal keg, to retain it in dispensingposition, to avoid undue condensation or sweating, and to conserverefrigeration. For insertion of such a barrel, the latches 34 arereleased and the cover portion I2 is moved out and entirely away fromthe body portion Ill. The barrel [4 is then moved up, in any mannercustomary for handling such objects, and with practically no lifting, isput in place on the skids or tracks 23 within the box. Before it hasbeen fully moved in, the tap rod 38 can be inserted through the usualtap bush, whereupon the barrel is finally pushed into place so that therod 38 seats in the notch 40; or if difierent draught arrangements areutilized, they can be connected with equal ease. Other necessaryconnections are made, including attachment of the hoses 48 to thecoolant outlets 46, 41, placing the barrel on circulation, so to speak,for the desired cooling action. All that is finally necessary is toplace the single bottom edge of the cover l2 in place, i. e. with itsrecesses in mating relation to the lugs 33; the cover is then swungforward against the body and the latches 34 are engaged and tightened.As soon as the contained brew has been cooled to the desired point itmay be dispensed in the usual manner and no further attention to theinterior of the box is required until it is desired to remove the barreland replace it with another.

The operation of removing the barrel is equally simple, beingessentially the reverse of the sequence described above and againrequiring neither special care on the part of the attendant. nor undueexertion in taking the barrel out of the box. The complete removabilityof the cover 18 and 2!) of the body portion, and

I2 is a feature of special'value, since it may be placed to one side and-thus safe from damage as a barrel is inserted or'withdrawn. Permanentlyhinged doors or the like are apt to be objectionable, since they tend toswing into the path of the heavy barrel or otherwise to be struck orengaged by the latter as it is pushed into or out of the enclosure;blows of such character often result in misalignment or worse damage ofper all times, so as to permit a much easier loading or unloadingoperation than where a barrel must be .inserted all the way under anoverlapping top. Furthermore the attachment of the cooling connections,and the insertion of the tap rod or completion of other tap connectionare very simpleto do. Where-the box is to be used with a rod or rigidtube 38 rising directly from the barrel and where notches 39, as areprovided at the parting line between the top portions I8l9 toaccommodate such rod at the central or other location in which itoccurs, the illustrated device also affords very simple means for accessof such a rod.

Since the walls of the box are insulated and since its interior isrelatively closely sealed (except, perhaps, for slight clearance aroundthe tap rod 38, through which little, if any, warm air is apt todescend) economical and efficient cooling are promoted, circulation ofmoisture-laden air around the metal barrel is prevented, and there ispractically no sweating of the latter. Although the structure is shownas holding a metal barrel and is of peculiar advantage in combinationwith such containers, it may also be employed for wooden kegs, withwhich it afiords a useful, protective, and efficiently insulatingenclosure. Nevertheless, as explained, the apparatus is especiallysuitable for metal containers of beer and other brews, e. g. aluminum,standard steel and stainless steel barrels, and fully accomplishes allof the stated objects.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specificstructures herein shown and described, but may be embodied in otherforms without departure from its spirit.

I claim:

1. A dispensing box for removably receiving a refrigerated barrel,comprising a completely thermally insulated, upright box structureadapted to enclose a barrel completely, said structure including a bodyportion having a top part, side wall portions, a rear wall and a basepart having skids adapted to receive a barrel in upright position, withthe barrel seated on said skids and without substantial elevation of thebottom of the barrel from a fioor upon which the box structure may belocated, said body portion having its base part extending from thebottom of said rear wall to the front of said box and having its sidewall parts shaped to be coextensive with said base part at their loweredges, said body portion being open along a parting plane which includesthe front edge of said base part and extends upwardly and rearwardlytherefrom making an acute angle with the vertical, the top of said bodyportion extending from the top of said rear wall to said plane, and aremovable unitary cover portion having a front wall, side wall parts anda top part, said cover portion being shaped to have a single lower edgeat the bottom of its '7 front wall, said cover portion further beingopen along a parting plane which extends upwardly and rearwardly fromsaid lower edge, said cover portion, at its parting plane, conformingwith the body portion, and being thereby adapted to be placed laterallyagainst the opening of the body portion to close the box, meansincluding separable hook and latching means for securing said body andcover portions in sealed relation to each other, and means extendinginto the box for cooling an enclosed barrel, said body and coverportions being cooperatively shaped to enclose .a barrel with saidbarrel disposed in accessible relation upon removal of the coverportion, and said body portion being open over its entire verticalextent, to the bottom, when the cover portion is tions are disposed formutual engagement along a line intermediate the top of the boxstructure,

said top parts having notches at said line, disposed in registrationwith each other, for passage of a tap rod to extend from an enclosedbarrel.

ARTHUR HERBERT PATCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 19,361 Clifford Nov. 6, 1934196,297 Hovey Oct. 23, 1877 270,564 Galland Jan. 9, 1883 1,193,809 MaukAug. 8, 1916 1,582,823 Jones Apr. 27, 1926 1,980,945 Smith Nov. 13,.1934 2,031,908 Sawin Feb. 25, 1936 2,252,173 Gibson Aug- 12, 19412,260,958

Tomson Oct. 28, 1941

